Opinion: Eberechi Eze’s Arsenal story is what dreams are made of

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·24. August 2025

Opinion: Eberechi Eze’s Arsenal story is what dreams are made of

As expected, Arsenal intentionally waited until moments before the first game of the season at the Emirates to unveil Eberechi Eze to the 60,000 in attendance. In football, success and failure can be decided by the smallest details, so if this helped give the crowd a lift, why not?

When you think of the stance Gyökeres, Isak and Wiska have taken this summer, it is easy to paint footballers as the disloyal parties in the sport. It suits clubs for fans to believe this narrative. Supporters are essentially customers, so from a PR perspective no business wants the image of being selfish and greedy.

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Look how Liverpool fans treated Trent Alexander-Arnold when his only crime was respecting his contract, being a professional until it expired but choosing a better job elsewhere. That happens around the world every day in various industries. It took Jürgen Klopp to remind everyone how foolish it was to boo one of their own who had contributed to every major domestic trophy. The German manager knew that if the full back had broken his leg two years ago, no one at Anfield would have thought twice about letting him go as a free agent.

Eze’s long road back

Ask Eberechi Eze how loyal football clubs are. At the age of 13 he was living his boyhood dream. A Gooner who idolised Thierry Henry, he was part of Arsenal’s Academy dreaming that this could be his life forever, being paid to do something he loved. When he was told he was being released, do you think they cared about how much the teenager loved the badge? Did anyone consider his emotional attachment to the shirt?

For someone so young, rejection like that can mentally set you back. Eze went home in tears, and the pain lasted for a week. The coach who gave him the bad news would not have enjoyed breaking a child’s heart, but by the time they reached their car they would have been thinking about dinner. That is the ruthless nature of sport and the wider world. Everyone is friendly when you are a talented resource. Once you are expendable, you are forgotten and replaced by the next cog in the wheel.

Arsenal treated Mesut Özil like royalty the day he extended his deal because he was seen as an asset who could make money on and off the pitch. Once the Kroenke family regretted the wages, every trick was used to make the midfielder so miserable he would walk away from his contract. Suddenly, it was the player who was wrong for honouring the agreement.

Eze was also released by Fulham, Reading and Millwall. At one point he prayed Sunderland would take him on, but after one week they cancelled the trial. This is what happens to so many youngsters who chase the dream. Eze saw others give up but kept going. Now a senior player, he will be aware of youngsters at Selhurst Park going through the same pain he did.

Eze (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Resilience pays off

It takes character to believe in yourself when others do not. Many did not see Eze playing for England at the Euros or scoring in cup finals, but he blocked out the noise and trusted his own ability. After a 14-year journey he is back at Arsenal, and while Spurs may feel misled and Oliver Glasner may be angry about how he left Crystal Palace, Eze will not lose sleep. Clubs have always put their own needs first, and this time he did the same.

QPR will also benefit from his return, receiving around £7 million thanks to a 15 per cent sell-on clause. Loftus Road was where Eze first felt others had confidence in him, simplifying his game and preparing him for the top level.

Compare his attitude to some of Arsenal’s Academy graduates. Ainsley Maitland-Niles sulked on social media, Eddie Nketiah coasted on a contract, and Reiss Nelson never fulfilled his early promise. Eze is the same age or just slightly older than those three but has surpassed them through resilience, not comfort. Sometimes stepping back is the only way to take a giant leap forward.

It is an incredible story. Which is why Arsenal asked Ian Wright to narrate the video welcoming him home. Wright too became a professional late, knew rejection, became a cult hero at Crystal Palace and finally lived his dream at Arsenal. Both he and Eze joined the club at 27, both lifelong Gunners.

To quote Ian Wright:

“Something’s don’t need saying …..But we say things anyway…..Do you want to realise those dreams?Do you want The Arsenal?”

On behalf of the JustArsenal family, welcome home Eze. Once a Gunner, always a Gunner.

Dan Smith

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